


Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

by tmtcltb



Series: Mistletoe Chronicles [7]
Category: The Last Ship (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28210227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmtcltb/pseuds/tmtcltb
Summary: Installment 6 of the Mistletoe Chronicles. Mike Slattery and Andrea Garnett reflect on the passing of another challenging year. Post-season 3. Canon.
Series: Mistletoe Chronicles [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064906
Comments: 2
Kudos: 1
Collections: 2020 The Last Ship Holiday Fest!





	Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Andrea Garnett stood on the patio of the hotel where most of the Nathan James' crew was currently gathered, watching the party through the windows. Tonight was the one-year anniversary of the Nathan James' successful arrival in St. Louis with the cure, as well as Christmas Eve, and President Oliver had invited the entire crew to join him for the festivities. Of course, the President had retired hours ago but the party was still going strong. The crew needed a release after another long year, one in which so much of the hope that they all felt upon reaching St. Louis was shattered.

After the devastation of 2014 - losing Lilly and Bill, fighting with the Russians and the Immunes, and then Doctor Scott's murder - Andrea had believed that 2015 had to be better. And, in some ways, it had been. The cure was spreading to the far reaches of the globe. Doctor Milowsky and his team were tackling the fallout from the green mist. Peng and Shaw and their cronies were no longer a threat. The Navy had managed to relaunch a second destroyer.

But getting there required so much suffering. More fighting, more destruction, more deaths.

Andrea unconsciously flexed her arm, which still bore the marks from Takehaya's needles. Between the events in Vietnam, the collapse of the United States government, and then Tom leaving, the crew needed tonight. A night to let loose. One when nothing bad happened. One that would give them hope that maybe, just maybe, 2016 actually would be a good year.

"I thought that I saw you hiding out here." Mike's comment took Andrea by surprise, so caught in her own thoughts that she missed his arrival.

She waited while he lit up a cigar. "You gave up trying to keep them under control then?"

"No point." Mike shrugged. "I confirmed that we are the only guests staying at the hotel so they aren't bothering anyone else. And most of them don't have anywhere to go tomorrow so perhaps it's better if they are all hungover and sleep in."

All true. Andrea was far from the only one to come home to the worst news possible. At this point, ninety-five percent of the people who Andrea knew who were still alive were here, in this hotel. And the ones who weren't... Andrea felt her eyes drawn to Sasha, who was chatting with Alisha and Wolf, a glass of champagne in her hand. "Have you heard from Tom?"

"No." Mike sighed. "I never thought he would completely disappear. Not after..."

_Not after watching Mike search for his family, the pain of not knowing perhaps worse than the alternative_. Andrea kept her gaze on the party, watching while a rather drunk Ray Diaz stole a kiss from Kat Nolan, to the merriment of the other teenagers. Before Andrea could consider intervening, Kat was yanking the teenager back down for a much less tentative embrace. "No word on Christine or the girls, I'm guessing."

"No." Mike paused, before continuing to puff on his cigar. "I've found a few Deer Park survivors. They said that most people headed for Baltimore after the camp was exposed. They had heard about Olympia. They thought that it was a hospital."

Andrea reached out a hand, setting it on Mike's arm. Unable to give false hope. Knowing that if Christine and the girls went to Olympia, there wouldn't even be a body for Mike to find. "I'm sorry."

Silence fell as Mike smoked his cigar and Andrea watched the party, broken only when Danny and Kara Green stumbled out onto the opposite side of the patio. The two were laughing, and then Danny caught Kara's arm, pressing her against the wall for a definitely-not-publicly-appropriate kiss. Mike lifted his voice. "I think it's time to get a room, sailor."

From the way the two jerked apart, it was apparent that they hadn't seen Mike and Andrea, although neither looked particularly abashed either. Alcohol, Andrea assumed.

"Yes, sir." Danny gave a jerky salute before grabbing Kara's hand and heading towards the front entrance.

"Oh, and happy anniversary," Mike added as the pair disappeared around the corner. He chuckled. "Ah, young love."

"Do you think that they'll make it?" Andrea wondered, more to herself than Mike, but he answered anyway.

"They've got as good a chance as any." Mike paused. "Maybe more. Having each other... that gives them something to live for."

Andrea gazed blindly into the ballroom, thinking about how many members of the crew were the last survivors of their families. Having lost parents, siblings, spouses, and children. "We need people like that. People willing to take a risk on the future."

Mike glanced at her. "Do you ever think about it? Starting over?"

"Me? No," Andrea scuffed. "I'm too old for all that. You?"

"Sometimes I think about it," Mike admitted. "Not that I've given up hope, not completely. But...I've been married for most of my adult life. I miss that sometimes. Having someone to come home to at the end of the day."

Mike had a point there. Andrea couldn't imagine having more children, the idea of trying to replace Lilly in any fashion incomprehensible. But love, companionship, that was somewhat different. Maybe the idea of remarriage wasn't completely off the table. "I miss that too. Especially now that I don't spend nine months of the year living on a ship with two hundred people."

"How goes the desk job?" Mike asked with a chuckle.

Andrea shrugged. "Fine. It's good working with Kara again. But the nights get lonely."

"There's a reason why I told Howard that I couldn't take the CNO job," Mike admitted. "And it wasn't just because of the paperwork."

Silence fell again. And then Mike started chuckling. Andrea looked over. "What?"

"I just realized that we've been standing under a sprig of mistletoe this whole time," Mike replied, pointing up.

Following his gaze, Andrea grinned. "Well, then, sailor. You know the drill."

Andrea wasn't sure what she expected. A kiss on the forehead or peck on the cheek, perhaps, but instead Mike pressed his lips to hers. Firmly, no hesitation. Before Andrea could do more than gasp, however, he was straightening. His eyes meeting hers. "If you ever change your mind about those evenings alone, let me know."

"I will." Andrea replied, amused by the breathless note in her voice. Something that hadn't happened in, well, a very long time. "Same time next year?"

The smile on Mike's face grew. "Sounds like a date."


End file.
